The I-house, a two-story, gable-roofed dwelling with a center passage and end chimneys, marked a revolution in early-19th-century American housing. The form brought an order and dignity to vernacular dwellings and became a prevalent element of the landscape, especially in Virginia. The John Grayson House is regarded as one of Montgomery County’s most pristine examples of the type. Here, the otherwise plain form acquired a stateliness through the use of a two-level pedimented portico. With its rear ell, the house has a total of ten rooms. The wainscot, mantels, and floors are original. The recently restored house, renamed “Grayson” by its owners, was built ca. 1850 for John Grayson, a member of a family of millers who established the settlement of Graysontown in 1847.
The John Grayson House was listed in the registers under the Prehistoric and Historic Resources of Montgomery County MPD.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia